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Going Gluten-Free (For Now)

Happy Tuesday! I was supposed to reveal my experiment yesterday but I forgot that the baby shower at work meant that I couldn’t leave during my lunch break to write anything. The good news is that everyone LOVED the trail mix cookies that I brought in.

So here is my experiment (as you’ve probably guessed from the title): I am going gluten-free to see if I may have a problem with it.

I have had stomach issues for years and I don’t know why. The main symptom is that on random occasions my stomach will swell with air and I will look like I am multiple months pregnant (hot). It is extremely uncomfortable since it stretches out my pants and I have to be conscious about sucking in my stomach. I have tried to explain this to people many times, but I often get dismissed with comments of “oh please, you’re so small” and “your stomach is supposed to be full after you eat.” This is true, but I am not supposed to look like the food has manifested itself into a fetus inside my stomach. I know the difference between being full and having this reaction.

For as well as I eat and the amount of exercise I do, I sometimes find myself feeling tired and drained. I can’t help but think that this can be attributed to something dietary. If anyone has any experience with this, I’d love to hear about it. This weekend I ate more bread products than normal and then felt glued to the couch on Sunday afternoon.

In researching gluten intolerance, I have found that unless you actually have celiac disease, there isn’t a very reliable medical test. The best way to determine if you have an issue with gluten is to remove it from your diet for an extended period of time and then slowly reintroduce it in small amounts and observe the reaction.

I haven’t wanted to do this before because I was scared that it would prove that I did have a problem with gluten and I don’t want to. Thankfully, if it turns out that I do, there are so many gluten-free options that I shouldn’t have a problem. They even make gluten free oats so I won’t have to give up my beloved oatmeal!

Yesterday marked the beginning of my trial so I woke up and had this for breakfast:

– daily green smoothie (kale, pineapple, chia seeds, ice & water)

– eggs

The baby shower was for a co-worker who has celiac disease, so I took that as a sign that my experiment needed to begin yesterday. I don’t have any more pictures of my meals so I will just list them:

I have made what is comparable to all the quinoa in the world so that I can eat it during the week. If I am feeling creative, I will mix in some veggies or something delicious, but honestly I am happy just dousing it in Sriracha (gluten-free!). Today my breakfast was the same, I just finished my quinoa, and I have to figure out dinner. I have a couple squashes at home that I may make.

If I do have a sensitivity to gluten, I suspect that it will be similar to my sensitivity to dairy. My mouth likes milk, but my stomach does not. I can have it without getting violently ill, but my stomach will definitely let me know it is mad at me. I gave up drinking milk some years ago and don’t eat yogurt anymore even though Greek yogurt is sooooo good. I will still eat cheese randomly, but that’s because the taste outweighs the consequences 🙂

So far I haven’t noticed much of a difference. I had a headache yesterday which may or may not have to do with this. I miss my oatmeal, but I do have leftover gluten free oats that I can have if I just can’t stand it anymore 🙂

I will keep you apprised of this journey and what comes of it. It really shouldn’t be that difficult for me because it’s not too drastic of a diet change. I almost hope it is gluten because if it’s not I have no idea what it could be!

As a side note, I received my matches for Healthy Living Blogs tea swap and The Lean Green Bean food swap. I am PUMPED! Click the links to read about them and I will be posting what I receive in the mail sometime this month. I LOVE giving presents so I am equally excited to send them out!

Question(s) of the day: Has anyone else had a problem with gluten? How did you know? What did you do?